Display device



' 1927. June 14 A. H. KoGGE DISPLAY DEVICE Filed 0ct.26. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR .HPM 7l PII. Ifoyyd BY L ATTORNEY WKITNESSES wav-d f June 14, 1927. 1,632,607

A. H. KOGGE DISPLAY DEVICE Filed oct.26. 192e 2 sheets-Sheet 2 \L v INVENTQR I I @2&1 w14/ 9&0, www* ATTORNEY Patented Juno 14, 1927.

[fsf-UNITED STATES ARTHUR H. x'oeenor 'JERSEY crrin` NEW JERSEYl msrLaY DEVICE.

Application med otober26, 1926,. 'Serial-No.-i44=,314. i

The present invention is rvconcerned v with l the ,provisionI of a` `device :which may have a wide range of utility, but which is primarily designed'for prominently displaying i the names of ships or the license numbers of automotive vehicles atl night.

In accordance with, a preferredxembodi-v` ment of the invention; the `device includes means for projecting lthe license number 1o upon therear of the vehicle, using the vehicle body as a screen` on which to display lin -niagniiedl form, .the license number `borne by a small slide associated witha projector.

i `Preferably the license displaying deviceis associatedwit-h the tail light of the'car,L and if desired` a single casingmay house the projector, tail flight and brake operated stop vlight. i 1 y Objects of the invention are to provide a i device oi this character whichf may be conveniently attached to various types of auto- 'mobiles and which will serve to display in properly enlarged form, the license numbers at any convenient location on the back of the car. o j i kFurther objects of the invention are to provide a device of this-character of neat, attractive appearance, which will be simple and practical in construction, rugged, durable and eliicient in use, and well suited to the requirements of economical manufacture and ready accessibility for purposes of repair or of replacing lights, 'j

With the above noted and other objects in view, the invention vconsistsl'in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, 'as will be more fully hereinafter set forth and pointed out in theclaims. The invention may be more fully understood from the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation showing a combined license vdisplay tail light and projector, with parts broken away lfor sake of clearness. l

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional v1ew on as the une 4 4 of Fig. 2.

signal light embodied in a single casing, the f license carrying member. l

:Fi 6 isa transverse sectional view on the -line 6--6 of Fig. 5. f l "F1g. 7 is a detail showing the plate-carryingvframe removed from its holder.

1g. 8 1s a view in rear elevation of. an automobile showing the device of the present invention in applied position and thelicense number `projected onthe rear of the car. f f 2 Fig '9 is. a verticalsectional view on the staggered line 9--9 of Fig. 2.

-Fig..5 is a view in front elevation of the In the drawingsI have used the reference' character 10 to designate the;` cylindrical body portion of the vlight casing of the present invention.4 This body portion is formed near one end with a dependin -bushin 11 rotatably adjustable on av hol ow stan ard 12 by a set screw 13. This standardat its lower Yend is swivellyr connected to a mountlng member 14 adapted to be secured in any convenient manner to the rear of a vehicle. As shown in Fig. 8, the mounting member 14 is connected to a clamp`15 on the rear bumper 16. adjusted by a thumb nut 17 which connects it to the mounting member and tilted from' the vertical position of Fig. 1 to the .dot-ted line position of the same figure. In fact,

The standard may be bodily even a greater rangeof tilting may be had,

about the standard 12 and locked in adjusted position by the set screw 13.

The body at its rear end is formed with a flaring externally threaded mouth portion 18, the central axis o'f which is Vdisposed at a slight angle to the longitudinal axis of the cylinder 10. A reiiectoror partition plate 19 is retained in the enlarged portion' 18of the body 1K0 by the use of` a lens rim 20 holding a lens 21 in place and formed with a lange22 which screws over the mouth 18.

' and the body 10 may be rotatably adjusted Mounted in a central tubular extension 23 of the partition platev or reflector 19 is a conventional socket 24 for a lamp bulb 25. Bulb 25 serves as the brake operated stop light,

and the lead wires 26 therefrom may be run through the hollow standard 12..

projecting lug- 34 adapted to enter a slot 35 1n a cup-shaped license plate carrier 36fac ing in an o posite direction from the cupsha edmempber 32 and nested therein.

e license platev holder is formed with an offset frame portion 37 cooperating with the gui e body of the holder to define a way into which a frame member 38 carrying Athe license. late 39 may be slid. License plate 39 as ustrated, is simply in the nature of a stencil having the license numbers stamped out. Although .it is to be understood that it might com rise any opaque member with transparent c aracters thereon.

Mounted for sliding adjustment in the projector tube 3l is a telescope 40 carrying lenses 41, 42. A rearward extension 43 of the telescope is formed with a bayonet slot 44 therein communicating with a longitudlnally extending slot 45 having a series of notches 46 in its edges in any of which a pin 47 projecting inwardly from the tube 31 is adapted to seat.

The general bayonet shape of the slit in the telescope extension prevents the telescope from being accidentally pulled entirely out -of the tube, while the notches provide means for locking the telescope in any desired position of adjustment. Preferably the extension 43 in addition to the slot above described, is slit as indicated at 48 defining a series of spring tongues which tend to circumferentially expand and tightly grip the tube 31. Thus the telescope is held against vibration.

The number displayed on the license plate is projected on the rear of the car as indicated in Fig. 3 by the use of a-projector lamp 50 disposed centrally of the' body 10. This lamp may be carried by the usual socket 51 mounted in a cap 52 screwed on to a threaded extension 53 at the bottom of the body. Preferably extension 53 is aligned with a similar extension 54 at the top of the body upon which a lens rim 55 is screwed, this `rim carrying a `lens 56 which serves as the tail light of the car.

By rocking the standard 12 about its plvot, rotating the body on the standard andY ladjusting the telescope in and out, it is a very simple matter to properly focus the numbers of the license plate on the back. of the car as shown in Fig. 8. The novel lamp casing (enables me to combine this license projecting feature if desired with the usual tail light and stop light of the car.

All of the lenses, the bulbs, the telesco e and the license plate holder may be readi y removed b the simple expedient of unscrewing or sli in out a few parts. New license plates mayv e conveniently substituted for old ones, at the beginning of each year.

Obviously the device which I have shown p 1n the drawings illustrates simply one preferred embodiment of the invention, and an kpart of the car body.

lamp in the casing, an open en infinite variety of changes and alterations might be made in the general form and arrangement of the parts described without departing from the invention, hence I do not wish to limit myself to the details set forth, but shall consider myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the'appended claims.

The device, either with or independently o f the signal lamps, may be used for various purposes other than the display of license plates.

I claim:

1.` A license display device foi` automotive vehicles includinga casing and a plate therein having a license number adapted to be projected on the body of the vehicle, a lamp in the casing, projecting and magnifying lenses in the casing, adjustable means for focussing the image of the plate on the body of the vehicle, a stop light lens in the casing' screened from the light of the lamp and a second lamp' for illuminating the stop light lens.

2. A license display device for automotive vehicles including a casing' and a plate therein having a license number adapted to be projected on the body of the vehicle, a lamp in the casing, projecting and magnifying lenses in the casing, adjustable means for focussing the image of the plate on the body of the vehicle, a stop light lens in the casing screened from the light of the lamp and a second lamp for illuminatingthe stop light lens, said casing being cylindrical mounting the projector at one end and the stop light lens at the other end, the latter bein inclined relatively to the transverse axis o? the casing, whereby it will be disposed in a substantially vertical plane when the casing is tilted upwardly to throw the image on the upper therein, a ed tubular element secured in the opening, a telescope slidably adjustable in the tubular element, a license plate interposed between the telescope and lamp' a 'magnifying lens'between theplate and lamp, said magnifyin lens and plate being carried by oppositely acin cup-like members screwthreadedly Aconnecte together. x

V4. A casing having an openin therein, a lamp in the casing, an' open en ed tubular 3. A casing having an openin element secured in the openilg, a telescope Sldably adjustable in the tub element, a license plate interposed between the telescope and lamp, a pin projecting inwardly from the tube and working in a bayonet slot in the telescope the latter including notches in its edges selectively engagable with the 5. An elongated generally cylindrical casing'having openings in its opposite ends and 1,639,607 d I i a `including diametrically opposite open socket Elate arranged between the telescope and a portlons arrangl intermediate its ends, a 'ght source mounted inthe light socket, a.

tail light lens arranged in the upper socket sto light lens arranged in the op osite open l0` en o n the casin and s'creene from the 5lower socket portion, an adjustable telescope light source for 1 uminating the tail llght mounted in one ofthe open ends of the caslens. ing, a magnifying lens and lieense'bearing ARTHUR H. KOGGE.

portion and a lamp socket arranged in the 

